His Silent Treatment
by Bells of Tomorrow
Summary: Dr. Cox thinks that a silent treatment from JD is like an all expense paid vacation. ...Or does he?
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N:_**_ Hey, everyone. This is my first Scrubs fic, so I hope it's not too much of an epic fail. LOL, enjoy._

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own Scrubs. I just watch it in absolute glee._

**  
His Silent Treatment**

"Seriously, Turk! Why would you do that!?"

"I'd thought you'd know it was another game of find Rowdy!"

"You have to _announce_ the game before going ahead with it, Turk. _Everybody_ knows that!"

"Everybody as in…?"

"Forget it! I'm not talking to you until Rowdy is back."

"Aw, JD!"

JD turned sharply on his heel and stormed off towards his next patients' room. It wasn't until he was completely out of sight did Dr. Cox magically appear from behind the nurse's station, clapping sarcastically. "Well done, Gandhi, and I mean _really_ well done. Seriously, how do you get him to not talk to you? No matter how much I rant he insists upon being my best friend, yet here you are, sulking that your number one gal pal is giving you the silent treatment over a missing dead dog. Tell me how _do_ you do it?"

"Tsk, JD's just in a bad mood today. He'll turn around. And, well…I did kind of break the rules to the game."

Dr. Cox stared at him, bemused. "You're serious, aren't you? Dear God, you're actually serious. Two grown men fighting over a ridiculous dog involved in a ridiculous game. Seriously? Seriously, seriously, seriously?"

"Your rants may get to JD, but they don't faze me."

"Gumball, if you consider that one of my rants then you must really have never heard me go off, am I right?"

Turk just stared before turning to go his own way. Dr. Cox was left standing to bask in his first victory of the day before Carla intervened. "Dr. Cox, do you honestly think anyone believes you'd want Bambi to stop talking to you?"

"Aaand, you don't think I'd like that why? God, Carla, you've seen the kid trail after me like the untrained labradoodle he is! Half the time he doesn't even need my help, yet he seeks me out for it anyway. It's annoying!"

"But half the time you don't need him in the patients' room either, but you whistle and there he is."

"Okay, so he's a _trained_ labradoodle. My mistake."

"My point is, he's always there when you call, and whether you admit it or not, you like that. You like his presence."

"Ha! Carla, don't even get me started on what his presence does to me. It just, it just makes me want to crawl out of my own skin!"

"Maybe, but that's probably because you won't admit to how much you like him there."

"Just give me my charts, will you?"

Carla did her half grin as she handed Dr. Cox his first patient of the day. It was precisely at that moment when JD chose to pass them by, most likely to go find Turk and apologize, but – "Newbie!" Dr. Cox let out a sharp whistle. "Come!"

Automatically, JD turned towards him, not even stopping to pause or ask why. It was like instinct now. He heard the whistle, heard his nickname (or whatever girl's name Dr. Cox had planned for him that day) and followed. It was that simple.

As they walked by various patients, JD always two steps behind, the young doctor couldn't help but wonder why his mentor hadn't started telling him what they were dealing with today. It was usually on the way to the patients' room when Dr. Cox would explain the situation in a short, simple manner, usually throwing in a girls name or two, but today he just stormed down the hall. Not like that part was any different, but –

"Listen, Patricia, we're dealing with a bit of a sap today. You know, a pansy. Anyway, he's a perfect match for your kind of bedside manner, so while I check all his vitals, I need you to give him a pep talk, understand?"

There it was. Just a little delayed. "Yeah. Sure thing."

"That's a good Newbie."

Inside the patients' room lay a man about JD's age, looking nervously from Dr. Cox to the young doctor he had never met. Ah, so this is why Dr. Cox wanted him here. I mean, he had told him in the hallway, but seeing the patient made it all the more obvious that Dr. Cox thought him a child. For God's sake, the man was practically shaking, but still, how could you blame him? What he had was manageable, but serious enough to make one worry.

As Dr. Cox looked through the charts and began taking the man's vitals, JD sat himself on the side of the patient's bed. "It's alright Mr. –"

"Mr. Berningham."

"Mr. Berningham. Nice to meet you. I'm Dr. Dorian, and I think you know Dr. Cox."

Dr. Cox nodded without looking, which seemed to make the patient look more uncomfortable.

"Right, well, we're going to take good care of you. Just know that it's perfectly normal to be scared over something like lung cancer, but the good news is that it's very manageable."

"Manageable? How?"

"Well, the part of your lung the tumor attached itself to is easy to operate on, and in since we caught it so soon, it hasn't had time to spread. I personally know the surgeon who will be working on you, and he's fantastic at what he does." JD pulled up on his shirt just enough to show Mr. Berningham his scar. "See? I let him remove my appendix, right before it was about to burst. No problemo."

The man before him swallowed. "Okay…okay, I believe you."

"As you should." JD raised one eyebrow in a cartoon like fashion. "I'm a doctor."

A loud clearing of the throat interrupted his little show. JD flinched. He didn't have to look at Dr. Cox to know he was being given the eye. "Anyway, yeah…you'll be fine, seriously."

"Newbie, let's go."

JD was up and following his mentor once more as they headed back to the nurses' station to pick up another chart.

"You seriously couldn't have done that yourself?"

"Done what?" Dr. Cox asked, rather surprised he was being questioned by the labradoodle.

"I mean, I know your bedside manner isn't the best there is, but you've never let that bother you before."

"Because I'm a fantastic doctor, and that's all that matters."

"Well…yeah. I'm just saying that –"

"What are you getting at, Shelia?"

"I'm just saying that my presence seemed unnecessary."

Dr. Cox stopped mid stride, spinning around to take in the young doctor's expression. JD swallowed. Hard. His mentor looked pissed, or puzzled, or just really pissed. He couldn't tell. "Not that…not that I'm complaining." _Oh God, I'm stammering! Again! Stop stammering, JD, stop stammering! _"I mean, I'm glad you think I'm good at it. I mean…I'm glad you called me, I just -"

"Listen, Betsy! If you were that busy with your oh-so-many patients, have the backbone to say so! I don't want to hear your complaints when you came trailing along without a moment's hesitation, understand?"

"I'm not complaining, I just –"

"And for God's sake, could you have gotten anymore sentimental back there? I mean _really_! Is it any wonder why I called you specifically to talk that guy into growing a pair? He's just like you! It's like I'm treating you, sending you off into surgery, and it's annoying enough that I have to see you on a daily basis, but treating you too? Seriously, Newbie, is he your brother? Some secret relative no one's supposed to know about? Maybe Dan isn't related to you at all. Maybe you're sibling is actually that guy in there and –"

"Okay! Okay, I get it! Sorry for asking!"

"Don't cut me off, Shirley!"

"I've done it before!"

"And you should sure as hell be grateful I let those times slide, but I am not in the mood today, not even a little."

"Fine! Then I'll just stop talking to you all together then!"

"Sweet mother of God, really? Really, really, really? Newbie, I just can't tell you enough how happy this makes me feel! _Finally_ a full…maybe two hours of Non-Newbie problems. And I've graciously given you two hours because, let's face it, you probably won't even be able to last that long without completely breaking under the silence, but either way, I'm going to milk this opportunity for as long as I can. God, it's like a vacation!"

JD gave him the best glare he had before storming off. Dr. Cox watched as he angrily snatched the chart away from Carla and made his way towards his next patient.

"What's got into Bambi?"

"Didn't you hear?" Dr. Cox was now rocking on his heels, a child-like smile spreading over his hardened features. "Newbie's giving me the silent treatment! Ha! I've finally got him to stop talking to me!"

Carla just grinned and shook her head. "Are you sure you're okay with that?"

"Carla, do you not see this expression? Seriously, how many times have you seen me this happy?"

"Oh, I can name a couple: Whenever the Detroit Red Wings win a game, whenever someone admits you're a fantastic doctor, whenever a Hugh Jackman movie fails to become a success, whenever Bob Kelso falls on his own ass, whenever - "

"Okay, okay, okay. But seriously, Carla, how can you mistake this expression for anything but pleasure?"

"Because it won't be one of pleasure in a few hours from now. To be honest, I'm not even entirely convinced you're that pleased at this very moment."

"Give me a break, will you? I'm allowed to be happy that the kid's finally leaving me alone for a while."

"Mmhmm… Anyway, here's your next patient."

"Are you kidding me? I'm taking my break early today. Might as well enjoy it in since I know Newbie won't be interrupting me this time around. Maybe I can get through a whole show without him cracking under what I'm sure he thinks is, 'Intense silence.'"

"You know, I think you're dismissing JD's silent treatments too easily."

"And why's that? I've seen his silent treatments before with that boy toy of yours."

Carla glared.

"Okay, _Gandhi. _He'll randomly say something and then turn to him and exclaim how he's still not talking to him. You know that's just an excuse for him to make some sort of eye contact, right? The kid hates fighting of any kind. He just sucks at it, so he does his own childish maneuvers and fools himself into thinking he's making a statement, when really he's just reverting back to when he was a five year old girl."

"But the very fact that JD hates fighting makes it all the more meaningful when he closes up."

Dr. Cox just shook his head. "Maybe in your little group that's how it works, but for me it's an all expense paid vacation. I'm going to enjoy it for as long as I can."

"Well then have fun. Feel free to come to me if you need someone to talk to. You know, when you're at the very brink of your patience and can't take the fact that your protégé is ignoring you."

"He is _not_ my protégé, the way that I am _not_ his mentor!"

"Okay! Whatever you say…"

Dr. Cox gave one last huff before walking briskly to the lounge. He was used to giving Carla credit, because as far as people in his life went, she knew him pretty well, but she couldn't be more far off on this one. There was no way he'd ever miss that little twerp's chirping. Never ever, ever.

_A/N: I have this story pretty much planned out. It'll most likely be three chapters, and the release for a new one won't be long at all. _

_Anyway, this was my first attempt at a Scrubs fic, so go easy on me. Hope you enjoyed!_


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N:_**_ Told you I'd be updating this fic rather quickly, eh? But in all seriousness, I have to say thank you to all the reviews I've received already. They really motivate me and push me forward, so thank you guys a lot. Alright, now onto the story._

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I own a very large nothing!_

**Chapter 2:**

JD walked into the cafeteria, his spirits rising only a little when he saw they were serving pudding rather than fruit cups. He liked both, but pudding was a definite win.

"Hey, V-bear."

JD turned to the familiar voice of his best friend, standing cautiously behind him in line. "Hey, Chocolate Bear. Look, I'm sorry about before. I tried to apologize only two minutes after it happened, but then Dr. Cox –"

"Dude, don't worry about it! And I'm sorry I freaked you out this morning by acting like Rowdy was honestly stolen."

"Where is he really?" JD asked while snatching a chocolate pudding cup.

"He's in the cabinet below the sink. Wouldn't it be funny if Carla got in one of her cleaning moods today? She'd reach down to get the cleaning supplies and BAM! Rowdy's there to greet her instead."

JD let out a healthy laugh. "That _would_ be amusing, but unfortunately for you, you'd be crippled two seconds later."

"Good call."

The two doctors walked over to their usual table, setting their trays down with a loud thump, or at least, that's what JD did.

"Dude, you okay? You seemed a little out of it when you first walked in, but I figured it was because of the fight from this morning."

"No, it's not you. It's Dr. Cox."

"Oh yeah? He go off on you again?"

"Yeah, but it was over the stupidest reason. I was just asking why he needed me for something, _after_ I already did it for him. Then he accused me of complaining, when really it had just been asked out of curiosity."

"And then?" Turk could tell this wasn't the usual, "Why does Dr. Cox love picking one me," story. Something else had happened.

"And then I cut him off to stick up for myself. The few times I actually _am_ able to do that, he seems to excuse the fact that I interrupted him, probably surprised by my backbone." JD bit down on his burger furiously after his last sentence. He had lost count of all the times his mentor had prescribed him a pair of testicles or told him to get that Y chromosome he's been after for years. JD scoffed. He had both, thank you very much! Just because he wasn't as aggressive as Dr. Cox didn't mean –

"And then?"

"Huh? Oh, right… So then I told him I wasn't talking to him anymore, which made him extremely happy. Should've seen that one coming, I guess."

"JD, you should know by now that, that's just how he operates. Don't take it too personally."

"I'm serious though, Turk. He's officially been given the JD Silent Treatment. I'm not talking to him until I damn well please."

"Alright dude, I'm with you."

"Wait…you're giving him the silent treatment too?"

"What? No, man. I just meant, like…emotionally or whatever."

JD grinned. "What would I do without you Brown Bear?"

Turk took an enormous bite of his pudding and smiled. "I honestly don't know."

--

Well, Dr. Cox had to give Newbie _some_ credit. A full two hours and not even a little growl from his labradoodle. It was almost time for lunch though, and unless the little pest decided to eat in the janitor's closet in order to avoid the temptation of talking, he would undoubtedly be in the cafeteria when he got there. But he really was still enjoying his mini vacation, so it meant little to him either way.

"Going to lunch?"

Dr. Cox looked down to find Carla grinning up at him. "I am, as a matter of fact. Where's Gandhi? Don't you usually go off with him?"

"I think he went ahead to make up with JD from earlier."

"In which Patricia will undoubtedly accept said apology, simultaneously breaking the silent treatment between him and gumball." Dr. Cox put down the file he had been skimming through and headed towards the cafeteria, Carla next to him all the while.

Once there, both nurse and doctor got in line, Carla waving openly to Turk and JD while Dr. Cox pretended not to notice the reuniting of the lover boys. When Carla was done whatever hand motion she was doing that meant, "I'll be there in a second," Dr. Cox turned to her, a look of triumph on his face. "You see? It's like I told you earlier today: Susie sucks when it comes to fighting. He caves in so easily if the silence lasts too long."

"You sound relieved," Carla commented with a smirk.

"It's not that I'm _relieved_, I'm just _right!_ Trust me, I'm still hoping he carries on with this silent treatment he's giving me. It's a blessing!"

"I'm sure it is…"

Dr. Cox gave a little growl as he stormed away with his meal. What was so hard to believe when he said he was enjoying this? Setting down his tray at the far end of the cafeteria, he found his vision suddenly focusing on the back of JD's head. In between bites of…whatever it was he was eating…he couldn't help but wonder how JD would cave. Would he run up to him out of nowhere, apologizing for earlier? Would he just pretend that the whole thing never happened? Or would something crappy happen in his life forcing him to go back to Dr. Cox for help? No matter what the case, he knew exactly what he'd say in response: "So how's that silent treatment working for you, Newbie?" Then he'd call him a girls name and things would undoubtedly go back to normal.

"Dr. Cox?"

Suddenly the back of JD's head was gone as a blue eyed, blond headed doctor took its place. "God, what is it Barbie?"

"Nothing much. Just wanted to see how you were doing without JD cramming in sneak hugs all day."

"I'm _fine_ Barbaroo. More than fine. I'm ecstatic! And who told you to ask me that by the way? Carla or the little girl herself?"

Elliot swallowed the second bite of her burger and spoke. "No one. I just heard from Turk that he's been giving you the silent treatment. You must've really pissed him off, huh? I mean, to voluntarily not talk to you? Ouch. But then again, I've had lots of people give me the silent treatment before. I don't know why. I guess maybe it's because –"

"Listen, Barbie – I couldn't care less about whatever summer camp story you're about to delve in to, okay? And I didn't do anything to piss him off, or at least not anything he didn't have coming."

"So what did you do?"

"Nothing!"

Elliot grinned, and Dr. Cox couldn't help but wonder if she had been taking lessons from Carla. "You sure are defensive for someone who claims to enjoy it so much."

"First of all, no I am not. Second of all, go away."

Elliot continued her lunch as the doctor in front of her shifted his weight ever so slightly, hoping he'd be able to see whether or not JD was still in the cafeteria. Unfortunately for him, Elliot hadn't been spaced out to her full capacity.

"Are you looking for him?" she asked with a hint of mockery in her voice.

"God, Barbie, didn't I tell you to go?"

Elliot just stared, the remainder of her burger sticking half way out of her mouth. Dr. Cox let out a sharp whistle. "Go! Go, go, go, go!" She was up in a second, her lunch tray spilling things behind her as she half walked half ran to a safer table.

Dr. Cox looked down at his watch. Almost a full three hours and Newbie really hadn't said a word. Who the hell did he think he was? Ignoring him like – but then it occurred to him. JD _hadn't_ been ignoring him, because they actually hadn't interacted since the whole thing went down! Dr. Cox took a victory sip of his coffee before getting up to dump his tray. He'd make that kid talk. He'd prove Carla and the rest of them wrong.

--

JD had been leaning against the nurses' station with Turk, talking about how they should make Steven and Rowdy race, when his pager went off. JD furrowed his eyebrows at the sender.

"What is it?" Turk asked curiously.

"Dr. Cox is paging me."

"So what's with the look of confusion?"

"Because this patient is a nine year old kid who just got his tonsils taken out. Now why would Dr. Cox need my help for this?"

"Your bedside manner?"

"Yeah, I guess…but still, it just feels odd, not to mention I'm still holding on to my silent treatment."

"So what, you're just not gonna go?"

"Well I have to go. He's still my boss and I can't ignore a patients' needs, but that doesn't mean I have to talk to him."

"Good luck, bro." JD and Turk high fived into a fist tight, super hero like hand hold. "JD's silent treatment – GO!" they shouted in unison, and then turned to leave to where his pager had summoned him.

--

Dr. Cox tapped his foot impatiently. JD should've been there by now, and the anticipation of getting this kid to talk was annoying him.

"Who are we waiting for?"

Dr. Cox looked down at the patient, a little startled. He had been sleeping when he paged JD, but this was perfect. He could use his bed side manner as an excuse for having called him. "We're waiting for someone to come cheer you up."

"But I'm fine!"

"You're a nine year old boy who just got out of surgery. Doesn't that usually scare kids?"

"But I get ice cream!"

"Okay, kid, here's what's gonna happen. Another doctor is going to walk in here, and you have to pretend you're all shaken up from your experience, okay? He's gonna try and cheer you up. Let him. If you do, I'll make sure you get any flavor you want, as long as it's chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry."

"Okay!"

"Good man."

JD walked into the room then, making no motion to approach Dr. Cox. Hell, he didn't even look at him. "Newbie!" he whistled. "Cheer this kid up, will you?"

JD sat on the edge of the bed and started talking in a calm fashion. Dr. Cox found himself listening much more intently than usual, like he was clinging to that whiney voice of his for some sign of giving in. Some sign of _something._ "Better?" he heard him ask.

The kid nodded, and JD left without a second glance towards his mentor.

"Wow, I wasn't even scared, but I still feel better after talking to that man. Do I get my ice cream still?"

Dr. Cox wasn't listening. Who the hell did Newbie think he was? Not even a mumble? Not even a small, "Tsk!" And what pissed him off even more was the lack of eye contact. What, he couldn't even spare him a small glare?

"Doctor?"

"What!?"

"My, uh…"

"Oh, right. Yeah, yeah. Sorry. You'll get your ice cream."

It was then that Doctor Cox's pager went off, making him jump. Man, he was jumpy today. There was no reason to be really, except for the total lack of a presence he had found himself getting extraordinarily used to. He shook his head then, combing his fingers through his curly hair. My God, he was losing it. It had to be the lack of sleep, or maybe the coffee had been spiked. Something. Something other than the obvious answer.

Making his way towards the nurses' station, he instantly noticed Carla, except instead of the cocky smirk he had been expecting to see, he was greeted with a look of defeat.

"Okay, okay. I was wrong. Bambi must've caved and talked to you, huh?"

Dr. Cox just stared at her, dumbfounded. "What?"

A look of comprehension slowly made its way over the nurses' face. "Oh! I'm sorry. I really thought something had happened. Bambi just strolled by here grinning from ear to ear, looking accomplished. I figured he was happy because you two were talking again, but I guess -" And then it hit them both; a simultaneous realization that made Carla want to burst out laughing, while making Dr. Cox want to slam his head into the wall. "He's proud of himself for not talking to you, isn't he? Now _that_ is funny."

"That rat bastard!" Dr. Cox snarled. "He's enjoying this? _He's_ enjoying this? I'm the one that's supposed to be –" Dr. Cox cut himself off, realizing what he was about to say. But this wasn't Elliot he was talking to. It was Carla, and the Latino nurse was sharp.

"Ha! I was right! You're totally hating this!"

"No. No, no, no. It isn't the silence I'm hating, it's that he's not even acknowledging my existence! Me! And c'mon Carla, you know my ego, you know my god like complex. I mean, I _am_ god like! It's simply undeniable!"

"Aw, and you don't like being ignored by Bambi, who you're so used to worshipping the ground you walk on, is that it?"

Dr. Cox was loathing this. He had tried to get JD to talk just to prove to Carla that he was right about how easy Newbie caved, but now it was turning into something else entirely. "Listen 'girlfriend,' I ra-_heel_-ly don't have time for this right now. I just got paged and –"

Carla held up her own pager with a grin. "That was me."

Dr. Cox gave her a "Go away," look before leaving on his own. He was going to track down his Newbie and find out exactly what was going through his brain.

_**A/N:** I hope everyone was still in character during this chapter, especially Dr. Cox. Hopefully no one seemed way out of place. Anyway, one more chapter after this! Hope you guys enjoyed._


	3. Chapter 3

**_A/N:_**_ Hey, everyone. Before we get going with the last chapter here, let me just once again say thank you to all my reviewers. You've given me a lot of motivation and encouragement with this story, so I thank you for that. Now, onto chapter number three, the final chapter of, "His Silent Treatment." Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer:** I own nada._

_**Warning:** There are spoilers in this up to season 6, involving reflections about JD and Dr. Cox's relationship._

**Chapter 3:**

JD felt like doing a cartwheel, that is, if he only knew how. But if he _did_ know how, he definitely would have pulled one off as he passed the nurses' station. He earned it, what with successfully doing what Dr. Cox had told him to while still sticking to his silent treatment. And by God, it was something to be proud of. The man was _so_ hard to ignore. His presence radiated a demand to be both respected and admired, and not in that whiney, child like way, but in a way that Dr. Cox didn't even realize he himself had. And when that same man called you personally or stared you down – tremble, oh unworthy one, tremble! Or at least that's how it felt to JD.

But the thing that was different for the young doctor personally was how much he admired Dr. Cox. Sure, he'd definitely grown a pair since his first year when it came to dealing with him. He could now manage to talk back to him on occasion, even challenge him with a half hearted threat, but he still wanted to be like him, a better him. He wanted that so, _so_ bad. And not just to be like him, but close to him. He thought he was a shoo-in when Jordan first appointed him Godfather, but sadly, that was taken away. (JD was still wondering how Dr. Cox had known where his thinking spot was) But he'd never be able to take away from JD that his daughter had been named after him _because_ of his suggestion. Ha! Take that!

There were other times through out the years too, where he and Dr. Cox had indeed gotten closer, even though he knew his mentor would never admit it. Perry's once a year nights where he'd drag JD to the bar to get drunk, Ben's death, who also happened to be Perry's best friend, the three transplant patients (the only time Dr. Cox had ever called him by his real name) and even the passing of Mrs. Wilk. But twenty-four hours after each said incident and things would only go back to exactly as they were. JD would still be referred to as a girl, Dr. Cox would still act like a hard ass, and he would never, _ever_ admit that he was JD's mentor.

So ignoring him was very, very hard, when in reality, the thing that JD wanted most was to sit down and talk to him the way he felt he could talk to Turk. No, not even that. The way he had always _wished_ he could talk with his own father, but had never been able to do so. That's what he wanted.

But now here he was, giving his mentor the silent treatment, and while it contradicted everything that had been swimming inside of his head for years, he felt it important to stick through it. Something good had to come out of this, right?

--

Flustered and furious, Dr. Cox continued to scan the halls for JD. He'd rather "accidentally," bump into him and get into a shouting match rather than page him into a private room to "talk things out." It just wasn't his style. But as his silent treatment now drifted into its eighth hour, he was getting more and more annoyed. Seriously, who would have thought Newbie would end up being _more_ annoying when he was silent?

What frustrated him most was his own, dare he think it, desperation. His need to find the kid, pry inside his head, mock the living crap out of whatever he was thinking, regain his dignity and be done with it. But really, the thing he needed to regain the most was the normalcy that was Newbie following two steps behind him, chattering on about insignificant problems (okay, so they weren't _always_ insignificant) and asking questions that he was probably just too scared to decide for himself without his approval.

Maybe if he offered something to him, a bargaining chip. No, that wouldn't work. He had tried that when giving JD the chance to voluntarily give up his role as Godfather. In fact, he had offered him everything JD claimed to want through out the years, but at the last minute he decided to turn it down. What was it he had told him? JD's girl-like voice rang through his head: _"No! Those things are only ensured until you retire. If I get to stay godfather, I get to be in your life forever."_

What was _with_ that kid and wanting to be in his life? First of all, he wasn't retiring anytime soon. God, he'd probably go crazy without this hell hole. And second of all, why did it matter to JD so damn much that he remain in his life? But the kid had been like that since day one, ever since he had decided in his head that Dr. Cox was his mentor. Intruding into his life on a daily basis, slipping in sneak hugs, motivational speeches, and what was that crazy idea he once came up with? That's right – "Bumper buddies." Dr. Cox had seriously considered punching him in the face that day. Oh yeah…punching him in the face

Dr. Cox stepped into the elevator. Glad that it wasn't occupied, he let his forehead rest against the cool metal surface that made up its walls. The punch to JD's face. The white flash of anger he had admittedly _warned_ Newbie would happen if he shoved him more than twice. His attempt at finally hugging the kid which led to his fist connecting with his nose. Why did JD think that the whole thing was sarcastic anyway? Well, who wouldn't? It was so very un-Cox like. But he had honestly been trying.

He made it up to him though. Beers, pizza, a Detroit Red Wings jersey, and then of course drunken story telling. Well, JD and Dan had been a little drunk, but he himself had been perfectly sober.

Because the kid had been down, and he had to be the strong one for him when no one else would.

"Damn it," Dr. Cox spat through gritted teeth. This silent treatment wasn't only annoying in that a presence he was used to was now gone, but because the absence of said presence was making him think. _Really_ think.

It was then that the elevator doors rang open, revealing a seemingly busy JD skimming through one of his patient's charts. Dr. Cox just stared at him, wondering if he was purposely being ignored or if the young doctor really hadn't noticed him standing there. He got his answer when JD looked up. His eyes grew wide in trapped fear as he spun on his heel to leave the elevator, but Dr. Cox's hand was already gripped firmly on the back of his collar, restraining him from stepping outside the elevator doors. "Calm down, Molly. I'm not going to beat your head in just because you give out silent treatments like the little girl you are."

He heard JD snarl and couldn't help but feel a little satisfied. Hadn't he been looking for him anyway? To find out exactly what was going through his head through some sort of shouting match? That's right, because talking things out just wasn't his style… "Hey there, Denise, did I just hear you make a sound? Now tell me the rules here, will you? Does that break your little attempt at grabbing my attention, or do you actually have to form a whole sentence?"

JD finally broke free of Dr. Cox's hold, only to turn around and glare at him. Dr. Cox almost laughed. It wasn't that he liked being glared at by him, though he'd never admit it. It was the relief of actually having some form of eye contact after a very long eight hours, though he'd never admit to that either. "What's the matter, Samantha, got something to say? Or are you being a good little girl and sticking to your gut about this whole silent fiasco thing you got going?"

And then it came. The shove.

A very long silence ensued, in which mentor and protégé just stared angrily into one another's eyes. Finally, Perry broke it. "Newbie…we've been over this before. Do – not – shove me."

JD swallowed. Hard. The threat beneath Dr. Cox's warning penetrated the air around them, and suddenly the elevator seemed much more cramped; like a gated fighting arena with no way to escape. But for some unexplainable reason, JD found his hand rising back up, the palm of it pushing into his mentor's shoulder a fraction harder than before.

That's when the elevator chose to stop. When all the buttons flashed simultaneously and the overhead voice made its way into their range of hearing. "Sorry, guys, we'll have it fixed for you in a sec. Just give us five minutes."

Somewhere beneath his fury, Dr. Cox noted that "a sec" was not five minutes, and somewhere beneath JD's fear, the young doctor realized that his previous image of the elevator being a fighting arena with no escape had suddenly become a reality. Now Dr. Cox's eyebrows were crookedly raised, while his eyes did that furious dance it tended to pull whenever someone got on his last nerve. Which was, admittedly, quite often.

JD watched as Dr. Cox rolled his shoulders. His arms were up and crossed over his chest. A quick finger flicked at his own nose, and his height suddenly gained another five feet. JD had witnessed this posture many, many times to know the different meanings this stance had. And now it was far too clear that a beating would surely ensue if JD went ahead with that third shove.

Screw it.

JD's hand was up in the air, palm ready once more to make contact with his mentor's shoulder, but suddenly said man's hand was around his wrist, stopping him from proceeding. JD then found himself pinned to one of the elevator walls, his back pressed firmly against the cold metal as Dr. Cox held him down with not only his arms, but his overwhelmingly angered gaze.

"Be sure as hell grateful I just stopped you from proceeding with that last shove there, Newbie, because truth be it, I don't _actually_ want to beat your face in. I already did it once, and the site of you clutching your nose on the ground was too pathetic to voluntarily witness again. Do you understand me?"

JD didn't know what to say. He was stunned into silence, slowly taking in Dr. Cox's words. So the man had him pinned up against the elevator wall to _prevent_ himself from beating his face in? How very –

"Newbie, I couldn't care less if you're really that inclined on keeping this silent charade up, but at least give me a simple nod, because if you just stand there and stare like a deer in head lights, I _will_ manage to get that expression off of your face. Now, do – you – under – _stand?_"

"Yes, Dr. Cox."

And there it was. A sentence. Not a nod, but actual words. What was it he had planned on saying once JD broke his silent treatment? Something witty and sarcastic. Something very him. But now all he could do was let go of the kids' shoulders, give him a very sharp nod, and turn his attention back to the elevator doors, willing them to open.

They, of course, did not.

"Sorry."

Dr. Cox cringed. Not now. He didn't want a sappy, emotional JD right now.

"Sorry I shoved you…again. And, um…thanks for not punching me in the nose...again."

Dr. Cox actually let out a small laugh at this, but he still didn't say anything.

"So what, are you giving me the silent treatment now too?"

Finally, the older doctor sighed and turned to face his young…whatever he was. "No, Newbie. I'm not giving you a silent treatment because I'm not a ten year old girl."

"So then…?"

And that was it. Something inside Perry Cox snapped. His nose was suddenly a mere inches away from JD's, his eyes alert and raging with some combination of frustration and confusion; exhaustion and need. "So then, what? What, Newbie, _what!?_ God in heaven you're annoying! What is it you want from me, huh? Do you want me to give you a hug? To let you call me your mentor and in turn to call you my protégé? To be there for you through those crazy ass times life just tends to pull us in!? Is that it, Newbie, is that it!?"

Once more, JD found himself thrown into a state of confusion. Dr. Cox was mere inches away, breathing hot fire onto his face as his eyes danced beneath all the anger, but there was something else amidst the fury that was Dr. Cox's rant. Somewhere underneath all the questions, there was, perhaps…was it really?

"Well, Newbie, well!?"

It was. It was there, visible, at least to JD. Beneath the pent up anger and furiously asked questions was sincerity. Dr. Cox was genuinely asking JD if that was what he indeed wanted.

"Yes," JD finally managed to choke out. "Yes. Yes, Dr. Cox, that's what I want."

Silence again followed the outrage, the truth, the sincerity… it lingered together in a moment of revelation and something new, something neither of them quite knew how to pinpoint.

Suddenly the elevator was alive and functioning. The two men lost their balance for a moment as it jolted upwards, to whatever destination they had ordered it to get to before. Both had forgotten. And now JD had regained eye contact with Dr. Cox, waiting for something, anything – even if what he was waiting for was just another girl's name. But instead, he heard what he'd heard his mentor say many times before, just never directed at him. "Fair enough." And just like that JD found himself crushed against the man's chest; one arm awkwardly wrapped around his middle, the other arm shoved into his coat pocket, not being entirely sure what to do with it. Five seconds passed, two seconds longer than Dr. Cox had once claimed one of his hugs could ever last.

The elevator doors rang to life, and Dr. Cox let his other arm fall back to his side, staring at JD with an almost amused look as his young…protégé…stood dumbfounded, staring back at him. "Well then? Whose chart were you looking at before that whole little fiasco?"

"Mr., um, Mr. Berningham's chart. He, uh…he's back from surgery and doing well."

"Looks like Gandhi got through another one, eh there Newbie?"

"Y-Yeah. Yeah."

Dr. Cox glanced at JD once more as the elevator doors slid open, landing on the floor where their now cancer-less patient lay sleeping in his room. "Should we tell him the good news or what?"

"Yeah," JD responded, the ghost of a smile on his face. "Sure thing."

Dr. Cox was the first to step out of the elevator, his Newbie two steps behind him.

--

Somewhere in the security room Carla and the Janitor watched the two doctors leave the elevator doors together.

"Thanks for stopping the elevator again," Carla said with a smile on her face.

"Anything to torment Scooter."

"You do realize that's exactly the opposite of what we just did, right?"

The Janitor looked at the screen where the now empty elevator sat idly. "Damn."

Carla just laughed as she headed for the nurses' station. All was as it should be, except much, much better.

_  
Fin_

**_A/N: _**_There you have it! I know this was more serious than the first two chapters, but in since this was the ending I wanted to do something a bit bigger here. Anyway, we're finally on the last season of Scrubs, which makes me pretty sad. I trust them all to end it well, but I really want JD to get his hug before this whole thing comes to an end. Just in case Bill Lawrence decides otherwise, I decided to do that here. _

_Anyway, guys, thanks again so much for all the lovely reviews. I really hope you enjoyed the ending of this little story. Thanks for stopping by!_

_**P.S.** – For "funsies", I highly suggest going to the Scrubs section on NBC's website. You have to watch the table reading for the first episode of season 7. It's in three parts, and is absolutely hilarious. XD_


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